Former Miss Columbus to intern at the White House

A former Miss Columbus has been selected to serve as a White House intern for the Spring 2016 session, the White House announced in a release Friday.

Cierra Jackson, who graduated from Spelman College in 2014 with a degree in political science and served as 2015 Miss Columbus, joins 160 other students from across the country in the White House Internship Program. The mission of the program is to make the White House accessible to future leaders around the nation. For those devoted to public service, the program also prepares interns for future leadership opportunities.

A native of Bowling Green, Ky., Jackson moved to Columbus at age 8. She attended Britt David Elementary, Blackmon Road Middle School and Columbus High, where she graduated in 2010.

Jackson's mother is a dentist, and her father is in the military.

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For Jackson and others, the intern program provides a unique opportunity to gain valuable professional experience and build leadership skills. Some of the White House departments where interns work include Domestic Policy Council, the National Economic Council, the Office of Cabinet Affairs, the Office of Communications, the Office of Digital Strategy, the

Office of the First Lady, the Office of Legislative Affairs, the Office of Management and Administration, the Office of Political Strategy and Outreach, the Office of Presidential Correspondence, the Presidential Personnel Office, the Office of Public Engagement and Intergovernmental Affairs, the Office of Scheduling and Advance, the Office of the Vice President, the Office of the White House Counsel, and the President's Commission on White House Fellowships.

Applicants to the intern program must be U.S. citizens and 18 years old before the first day of the internship.

The applicant must be enrolled in a undergraduate or graduate program at college or university or graduated from an undergraduate or graduate program no more than two years before the first day of the internship.

Veterans of the U.S. Armed Forces also may apply if you have a high school diploma or equivalent and has served on active duty two years before the first day of the internship.